Immersive Umbria with Rome Tour

Liz and your driver will meet you at Rome Fiumicino airport (FCO) for minibus transfer to Allerona — about a 2-hour drive. Along the way, we’ll give you an introduction to the week ahead. 

• Check into your rooms and find a snack waiting, and have a few hours to rest and chill. This is your home for the week!

• We’ll take an early evening tour of Allerona, where you’ll learn about the history of the village and some of its special places and hidden corners.
• We’ll enjoy a welcome aperitivo, followed by dinner in a private cantina in town.

On this full day, we’ll get to know Orvieto, the beautiful medieval city with Etruscan roots and a magnificent 14th-century cathedral. On the 20-minute ride to Orvieto, we’ll explain a little of the city’s history (and maybe a little about how Liz and Paolo met here!). 

• We’ll meet our guide for a tour of Orvieto’s centro storico (historic center) followed by a visit to the Duomo.
• Lunch at our favorite trattoria in Orvieto
• After lunch, we’ll visit one of Orvieto’s many underground caves, carved out over the millennia for storage, shelter and raw materials, and do a ceramics workshop.
• Return to Allerona for the evening and dinner at our lovely fine-dining restaurant

We’ll stay close to home and get a taste of rural life and traditional Umbrian cooking, family style. 

• Depending on the weather, we’ll get an early start and head out with a local tartufaio (truffle hunter) and his dogs, and watch as these specially trained pups sniff out and retrieve Umbria’s “black gold” — pungent, flavorful truffles. (Note that we may swap this activity with foraging for mushrooms or wild asparagus.)
• Bring your appetites to a private lunch, prepared and hosted by Paolo’s mom, Franca, and sister, Anna Rita. Friends who’ve visited us recall “lunch with Franca” as the highlight of their stay. If we rounded up any truffles, mushrooms or asparagus, they’ll be on the menu!
• Free time after lunch to rest and relax.
  
• Tour of a village palace, the ancestral home of a local family, followed by tasting of local olive oil, wine and other products, including a bruschetta-making lesson.

We’ll dip into Lazio, one of the region’s bordering Umbria, and visit one of the area’s most enigmatic sights.

• Civita di Bagnoregio, la città che muore, or the dying city, sits on a dramatic tufa plateau just a short distance from Orvieto. We’ll walk across the long bridge — the only way to access the nearly-deserted town — and spend some time exploring and taking photos.
• We’ll stop for lunch at an underground restaurant situated in an ancient olive mill.
• On the way back, we’ll stop for a wine tasting at a vineyard specializing in Orvieto Classico, our local white wine. 
• This evening, those who still have some energy and appetite can join us at the bar just outside of town for drinks and snacks (walking or transport provided).

This morning, and weather permitting, those who wish to can join Liz for a walk along the strada bianca, the gravel road that runs through the countryside. You may even get a dog to walk!

• Mid-morning, we’ll head to Franca’s kitchen for a cooking lesson. Handmade pasta and roast chicken are on the menu.
• At lunch, we’ll dine on the delicious food we prepared earlier, followed by a grappa tasting.
• Your afternoon is free to rest and digest.
• In the evening, we’ll head to Orvieto for aperitivo, dinner and gelato.

Weather permitting, we’ll spend most of the day outdoors, learning about the ancient Etruscans, thermal baths and foraged foods.

• This morning we’ll ride about 20 minutes to San Casciano dei Bagni, and get a tour of the major Etruscan and Roman archaeological site that’s recently come to light there. Those who wish to can pack a swimsuit and take a dip in the ancient outdoor thermal baths, where water bubbles from underground at a constant 104F.
• We’ll stop for a foraging lesson in the Umbrian macchia, or bush, and have lunch at a cozy osteria in the woods (bosco).
• Group country walk or afternoon on your own.
• This evening, it’s pizza party time!

On our last day in Umbria, you’ll have time to shop for souvenirs in Orvieto and make one of your own.

• We’ll start with a handmade marbleized papermaking session with our friend Lamberto. 
• Lunch and the afternoon in Orvieto are on your own.
• Late afternoon, we’ll meet at Piazza Cahen, see Pozzo di San Patrizio, and take the funicular — a one-of-a-kind experience — down to our waiting van.
• This evening, we’ll enjoy a festive cookout and get ready to say arrivederci Allerona…

After breakfast, we’ll depart Allerona and head by can to central Rome for three full days of sightseeing and discovery. 

• We’ll drop our bags and the hotel and head to a cozy trattoria for lunch. 
• After check-in, you’ll have a few hours to explore Rome on your own.
• Early evening, we’ll take a golf cart tour of the city, featuring some incredible views and expert narration from our guide.
• We’ll have a light dinner before heading back to the hotel.

Down an espresso for a really early start today. But trust me — you’ll thank me! 

• Before breakfast, we’ll take a magical early morning walking tour where we’ll see the city before everyone wakes up. 
• We’ll be back to the hotel in time for breakfast, after which we’ll tour the Domus Aurea, the rediscovered ruins of the once-opulent palace of Roman Emperor Nero.
• Lunch and the afternoon are on your own.
• At dinner, we’ll convene at my favorite pizzeria in Rome, which, conveniently, is right next door to my favorite gelateria.

An art and food-filled day awaits as we get ready to say goodbye to newfound friends! 

• After breakfast at the hotel, we’ll take a guided tour of Galleria Borghese, a magnificent Baroque palace full of artistic treasures.
• You’ll have lunch and the afternoon on your own to pack, souvenir shop, or take in additional sights.
• We’ll meet at the hotel and head out for our last aperitivo and then to dinner at a traditional Roman restaurant.

We’ll have a scheduled transfer to FCO or, if you’re traveling elsewhere in Italy, to Termini train station.